


Scholarship is the Enemy of Romance

by deathgurgle



Category: Pacific Rim (2013)
Genre: Alternate Universe - Library, Alternate Universe - No Kaiju, Developing Relationship, Fluff, M/M, college student Newt, librarian Hermann
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2015-08-15
Updated: 2015-08-15
Packaged: 2018-04-13 01:49:38
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 5,004
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/4503168
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/deathgurgle/pseuds/deathgurgle
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>When he opened the inside cover, there was a final sticky note.<br/>
</p><p>you look nice in the burgundy sweater<br/>
xNewt</p>
            </blockquote>





	Scholarship is the Enemy of Romance

**Author's Note:**

  * For [ChicagoTeddy](https://archiveofourown.org/users/ChicagoTeddy/gifts).



> Many thanks to allhailjeremybrett for beta'ing this so quickly.  
> Title taken from the song _Scholarship is the Enemy of Romance_ by Billy Bragg

Hermann was in mid-page-flip when the bell above the door rang out, signaling a new patron. He straightened where he was seated on his stool behind the counter and he shut his book quietly, page marked with a scrap of paper as the new man walked up to him. He looked short, his hair a mess and his sleeves poorly rolled to the elbow to show off flashy tattoos. Hermann frowned just a little and cleared his throat.

"How can I help you?"

"Yeah, um, do you have any like, advanced paleontology books? As in college grade stuff, not something you'd read to a ten year old to explain what a fossil is."

"I know what the word advanced means," Hermann muttered, but he sighed and pointed behind him. "The back shelves are 500-600. Take a look between 560 and 570."

"Cool; thanks, man," the man chirped, smiling, and he slapped his palms on the counter in a rhythm before he went off in search of an appropriate book.

Hermann decided this man was too cheery.

It took fifteen minutes for the curious newcomer to return with a stack of two books and Hermann slipped his glasses from where they hung around his neck to put them on properly, shaking the mouse to bring the desktop's screen back to life. He clicked a few things and typed away at the ancient computer, glancing up at the other man over the rims of his glasses.

"You've never been here before. You're going to need a library card."

"Yeah, okay, sign me up," the man said with a smile.

"All right, then I'll just need your name and date of birth."

"Newton Geiszler, G-E-I-S-Z-L-E-R. And-uh-January 19, 1990."

Hermann typed everything in and hit print, waiting patiently for the printer to spit out the card. When it finally succeeded, he handed the little card to _Newton_ along with a pen.

"Please sign the back and then I can sign these out for you."

Newton smiled and scrawled a signature while Hermann typed the books' information into the computer to register them to the man's card, neatly stacking them and sliding them across the smooth surface of the counter.

"And there you are. They're due back in two weeks. Enjoy."

"Thanks, dude, catch you later!" the man replied, dripping with enthusiasm, and he left.

The bell clanged loudly in the quiet shop.

 

—

 

The new man came back only three days later, his borrowed books in tow.

"Finished already?" Hermann asked, curious, as the other man set his books down on the counter, his library card on top.

"Yep, I got all I needed from these. Gonna borrow some more." Newton flashed a grin.

"Do you need any help finding anything?"

"Nope, I know where the prehistoric life section is now; I know where to go." And just like that, he was gone to the back of the little library, leaving Hermann in relative silence once again.

Hermann went about signing the books back in and marking them as returned on Newton's check-out history. He made a face when he noticed there were dog-eared pages in several places in both books, but that wasn't actual damage so he just sighed and started unfolding the corners, putting the books onto his little cart with the other returns to put back on their respective shelves later. By the time he finished with that, Newton was back with just one book and that ever present smile on his face. It was... _charming_.

"Just the one?"

Newton nodded and Hermann took the book, signed it out for him and slid both it and his library card back.

"It's due in two weeks. Have a good day and enjoy your book, Newton."

"Thanks, dude. And call me Newt."

Hermann made a face. He couldn't be serious. "Call you... _Newt_?"

"Yeah. It's a nickname. All my friends call me Newt."

The name didn't feel right in his mouth. Hermann frowned. "I'll... try to remember."

"Sweet, cool. See you around!"

Newton was out the door and Hermann was left again in silence.

 

—

 

Hermann was a little surprised to see his newest patron back at the library the next day, but he was happy to see him so he smiled a bit as he walked in.

"Finished already?" he asked, trading his smile for a skeptically raised eyebrow.

"Uh yup, yeah it was a quick read, y'know? Really interesting stuff."

"Well, I'm glad you enjoyed it." Hermann reached out his hand for the book but when the other man handed it over he frowned. "Is this... did you scorch the corner?"

Newton laughed awkwardly and scratched at the back of his neck, looking anywhere but at Hermann. He was particularly fascinated with his shoes.

"Right. Um, so the story is pretty funny, actually, you'll laugh I'm sure!" he started, going a mile a minute, and he hardly paused to breathe anywhere. "So I was reading by a little fire with a couple buddies and uh, I was getting kinda tired so I was like, nodding off. And you don't exactly keep a good grip when you're falling asleep so I kinda dropped it in the fire. A little bit. But I put it out immediately so I only singed the corner a tiny bit so I managed to save most of it! But... yeah."

Hermann could only stare at the other man as he explained what happened to the book, and he pressed his lips into a thin line, endlessly annoyed. He would certainly have to purchase a new copy to replace the one Newton had carelessly damaged, so that meant having to call in an order which was tedious. He had a few others he wanted to ask about, so he supposed he could do it in one go... Hermann sighed and ran a hand over his face.

"I'm going to have to charge you for the book since it is irreparably damaged," he groused, pushing the book across the counter toward the other man. "You keep it."

"Wait, I... also need to borrow another book." Newton finally looked up at him and he seemed so genuinely upset and guilty. Hermann sighed again.

"Usually I would suspend your card, but... I suppose I'll let you off with a warning. This time. Go get your book while I ring you up."

Newton was all too eager to flee to the back of the library while Hermann typed away at his computer, pulling up the register to update the book's status and then getting ready to sign another book out to Newton. He seemed to take a little longer than he had during his previous visits, so Hermann busied himself with writing a note to order the book as well as a few others, sticking it to his computer before the other man returned with a thick book under his arm. Hermann took the hefty text and registered it to Newton, placing the damaged book on top of it. He slid them over to him.

"There you are. Due in two weeks. The damaged book will cost you twenty dollars even."

Newton was quiet as he dug out two more-than-slightly crumpled ten dollar bills and Hermann accepted them though not without a bit of a face at how bent and wrinkled they were. He set to straightening them out against the counter, slipping them into the little leather zip pouch he had for damaged book money. When he finished, he cleared his throat and nodded at the other man.

"Sorry about the book," Newton tried, giving an apologetic smile.

"Pay no thought. Have a nice day, Newton."

When he left, the shop seemed all too quiet once again.

 

—

 

Predictably, Newton was back at the library only three days later, the large book in his hands ready to return. Without a word, he disappeared to the back of the library but not before putting the book onto the counter for Hermann to take care of. The book was full of colorful sticky notes, edges of them poking out in more than a dozen places and Hermann sighed, realizing he would have to go through every page to ensure he got every one of them. As he started, he began to mutter about what a nuisance it was having to be the one to clear out the book; _Newton_ was the one who borrowed it, _Newton_ was the one who put the damn notes inside, _Newton_ ought to be the one to tidy up. The notes were all just quotes from passages, little copied bits of text in such a messy, scrawled script that Hermann almost couldn't read them. He was thoroughly annoyed by the time he finished going through the brick of a book and Newton still hadn't come back from where he was looking for a new text.

Muttering to himself, Hermann started the process of signing the book back in, but when he opened the inside cover, there was a final sticky note. He audibly groaned and removed it, and his eyes caught the word _sweater_. He paused. What did sweaters have to do with paleontology? Lips pressed into a thin line and curiosity getting the best of him, he brought the note close enough to read.

_you look nice in the burgundy sweater  
xNewt_

Hermann stared at the note for several seconds, only finally putting it down when he heard the other man returning to the front. He had to clear his throat, feeling his cheeks pink from the compliment, and he stuck that note onto his computer, out of Newton's line of sight from the front of the counter.

"Taking out three this time. That's fine, right? Is there even a max here? I'm guessing it's probably like five or ten or something. But I only have three this time so..." Newton dropped the books onto the counter, grin wide and present.

"The maximum is five but... you left notes in the last book you borrowed." Hermann gestured to the small pile of sticky notes beside the book he had taken out three days earlier. "Please don't leave them inside for me to deal with."

"Yeah, sorry. But you got all of them right?"

Hermann hesitated. "I did."

"Cool... cool."

Hermann raised a brow at the way the other man was practically bouncing in place, but he just went through the motions of signing the books out to him, sliding them back with the notes placed delicately on top.

"Two weeks. Have a nice day."

Newton only smiled and nodded before he left.

 

—

 

Over the course of nearly three months, Hermann collected several notes from Newton and he kept all of them neatly tucked away in the little drawer in the counter beneath the computer. He never brought it up to him though, he would just read the note and stow it away neatly with the others.

_you have nice eyes  
xNewt_

_I like the way your hands look when you're typing  
xNewt_

_I really like your smile, i wish you'd smile more  
xNewt_

_your accent is really really really nice to listen to  
xNewt_

_your glasses really suit you. fits the whole_  
_librarian thing you got going on_  
_xNewt_

 _argyle is kind of horrible but you look really_  
_good in that purple sweater_  
_xNewt_

 _seriously those grandpa clothes are awful but_  
_they are **so** you_  
_xNewt_

 _I like your dumb haircut that went out of style_  
_like ten years ago (seriously dude? an_  
_undercut?? cmon)_  
_xNewt_

_I love how you use the dewey decimal system  
xNewt_

_I like ur butt  
xNewt_

Hermann stared at the newest note, chewing at his bottom lip in silence as he read it over and over again. Even after reading it more than a dozen times, he was still at a loss.

_have coffee with me?  
xNewt_

The simple question with a phone number scribbled at the bottom just absolutely threw Hermann. What threw him more was that he was legitimately _considering_ it. The man was... interesting. Hermann would snip at or tease him and Newton would do so right back at him. It was refreshing to have someone to bicker with, to have some back and forth banter with another human being. It was _fun_. Hermann dug out his phone and punched in Newton's number into a new message. It couldn't hurt to go out for coffee with the man. It wasn't even necessarily a _date_ or anything. It was only coffee, it would be _fine_.

**_[4:03pm Sent]: You shouldn't leave your phone number in library books, Newton._ **

Hermann stared at his screen for a minute and he received no reply so he put it down in favor of his book. He could be patient. Newton was probably just busy doing... something. Hermann jumped minutes later when his mobile buzzed on the counter, slowly moving toward the edge. He scrambled to look at the incoming messages.

_**[4:11pm Received]: yea but i knew youd see it before it went back on a shelf  
[4:11pm Received]: sooo does this mean you will go out for coffee w/ me? :o** _

Well it was certainly too late to change his mind. Hermann took a deep breath before he started to type.

_**[4:13pm Sent]: Yes, I will go out for coffee with you.** _

_**[4:13pm Received]: aw sweet!!! can we do it tomorrow?**_  
_**[4:13pm Received]: the library is closed sundays right??**_  
_**[4:14pm Received]: will 1pm work for you?**_

_**[4:15pm Sent]: Tomorrow at 1:00pm will be perfect.** _

_**[4:16pm Received]: ok cool i have the perf little cafe in mind**_  
_**[4:16pm Received]: the coffee blow your mind for real**_  
_**[4:17pm Received]: i'll send you the deats real quick**_

Hermann smiled as he got the address of the shop; it was local, one he had not been in before.

_**[4:19pm Sent]: I look forward to it. I will see you tomorrow, then.** _

_**[4:20pm Received]: cant wait, dude!**_

 

—

 

Hermann arrived at the cafe nearly ten minutes before one o'clock, his obsession for punctuality would not allow him to be anything less than appropriately early. He knew that he was likely going to be waiting a while until Newton showed up, so he sat down and ordered a simple cup of coffee to idly sip as he sat. Fifteen minutes went by and the other man still had not shown up, but that meant it had only been five minutes after their agreed upon meeting time. Hermann decided to be patient and continue to wait, drink his coffee-which was quite good, Newton was right, if a bit exaggerated-and fiddle away on his phone, reading an online book quietly.

Ten minutes went by and no sign of Newton. Hermann told himself to relax. He was just running late, he wouldn't stand him up; he was the one who asked him out, it wouldn't make sense for him to not come. Five more minutes passed and Hermann started to entertain the idea that maybe he really didn't want to see him.

Five minutes more and Hermann was grabbing for his cane to stand, money left on the table, when he heard the door's bell jingle and Newton was rushing in, out of breath. Hermann tried not to look relieved and instead opted for annoyed. He frowned at the other man as he approached, taking his seat and gathering the bills he intended to leave on the table.

"You're late," Hermann muttered as the other pulled out the chair to sit across from him.

"Yeah, I'm sorry, I had to finish up some work. I hope you didn't wait too long though." Newton grinned sheepishly.

"I see. I feared you had... second thoughts."

"What? No way, I couldn't stand _you_ up. Who would I flirt with by way of sticky notes in library books?"

Hermann flushed and cleared his throat, staring down at his hands on top of the table.

"Well, I'm gonna go see about getting a mocha. You look like you could use another... whatever was in that mug. I'll BRB, 'kay?"

Newton was gone from the table in a flash, giving Hermann some time to collect himself. By the time he came back, two mugs full with strong smelling drinks and an unnecessary amount of whipped cream over the top, Hermann was sufficiently settled and cool. He smiled when Newton set the drink down in front of him and sat down.

"What exactly do you... do?" Hermann asked carefully, using his spoon to swipe some of the whipped cream.

"Oh, well I'm in college right now. Post-grad, very fun, and uh I'm studying paleontology. You probably already figured that out from my book history."

"Yes, you've signed out quite a few books that never left that category. It's an... interesting field of study."

"Yeah. Okay my turn; I know you work in a library-obviously-but what else do you do? Like, gimme some hobbies." Newton punctuated with a slurp of his drink, his mouth ringed white from the whipped cream. It was an amusing sight and Hermann had to stop himself from snickering.

"I read-"

Newton snorted.

"Let me _finish_ , for God's sake. I read and informally study physics and computer science. Fiddling around with old computers is quite, ah, fun."

"Oh my God." Newton set his mug down and gaped at Hermann.

"What?"

"You..." Newton started, a small grin starting to form, "are a huge _nerd_."

Hermann sighed and gave the other man an unimpressed look, one eyebrow poised.

"I'm just sayin', dude."

"Of course." Hermann rolled his eyes, had another spoonful of whipped cream. "What are _your_ hobbies, then?"

"I have a lot but... okay. Music, getting tattoos, doing tattoos for other people-I work at this little shop in town, it's really fun and the owner is super nice she's seriously the bomb, but I guess that's kinda off topic um... right, so I also enjoy just kinda reading up on sciences and stuff like biology and specifically medical sciences and all that good stuff. I read a lot of research stuff online and watch a lot of documentaries. You're a mathy science guy though, so I doubt you'd want to watch a documentary with me on like marine biology or something."

"I wouldn't be opposed to watching a documentary with you, Newton."

"Oh."

Hermann hummed and sipped from his drink after having dealt with the last of the whipped cream. He had gotten him mocha too. It was lovely. Very rich and warm and just... _lovely_.

"So... you wanna watch a documentary with me some time?"

"Yes."

 

—

 

It wasn't until a week later that Hermann was able to _hang out_ with Newton again to watch the promised documentary. But it gave him something to really look forward to during the week, gave him something to focus on when he needed to calm down after shouting at some rowdy teenagers to _"quiet down you are in a_ library _for God's sake_." The next Sunday finally did roll around though, and he found himself really thinking about his ensemble as he picked through his closet. He recalled the first note he was ever given from the other man and he ended up in a crisp white shirt with that burgundy sweater pulled over it with tan slacks.

He stood stiffly on the small porch in the early evening as he waited for Newton after having rung the bell, and he almost flinched when the door opened and he saw Newton restraining a very excited looking dog by its collar.

"Sorry, shoulda warned you I have a dog. This is Baragon, but my buddies and I usually just call him Barry. He really loves people and is kinda rambunctious but uh, he'll grow on you," Newton explained, pulling the Australian Shepard further back into the hall so Hermann could properly enter.

"Yes, I can see why you two make the perfect pair," he teased, shutting the door behind him and following the other man down the hall into the actual space of his apartment.

The second that Baragon was released, he immediately darted for Hermann, nose snuffling at his shoes, legs, and crotch, then his hand when he brought it down for him to sniff. Automatically the dog licked at Hermann's open palm and he tried to hide his grimace but his quiet groan of disgust betrayed him. He reached and awkwardly patted his head and scratched behind his ear as he woofed quietly in content, tail wagging rapidly.

"Careful, he might never leave you alone now," Newton said, smirking.

"I'm sure he can't be any more unbearable than you."

Newton made a choked off noise of offense, hand over his chest. Hermann couldn't help but chuckle at the absurdity of the man's reaction.

"Now, I believe I was promised a documentary on marine biology."

Newton only beamed and nodded, motioning for Hermann to follow.

The parlor was cozy and Hermann was happy to sit beside the other man on the sofa, hooking his cane on the arm of it but not before having to swipe it back when Baragon went to chew on the end of it. He glared at the dog who just sat back on his haunches, tail beating against the little coffee table across from the sofa.

"Would you mind putting this somewhere that ah... _Barry_ will not get at it?" he asked, turning to Newton with a sigh.

"No prob, dude. I'll hang it up on the coat hooks," he replied easily, taking Hermann's cane and getting up to hang it lengthwise over the hooks by the door.

Even after having scolded the dog, he still whined for attention from Hermann, resting his head on his knee, and his big sad eyes bored holes through to his heart. He sighed, defeated, and he reached to rub at his head and down the side of his neck, scratching lightly under his chin and behind his ears. His fur was quite soft and a lovely mix of grey and brown, blending together over his back and chest, his eyes such a lovely shade of brown that just bordered on amber. And he had to admit... he was a nice and rather handsome dog. He paused in his petting though when he heard a snicker and he looked up with a frown at Newton walking back over to the sofa.

"And _what,_ exactly, is so _funny_?" he demanded, frown deepening when at first Newton only snickered more and covered his mouth to quiet himself.

"He just really likes you. And it looks like you really like him too," he said with a little smile, flopping back down onto the couch next to Hermann.

"Yes, I suppose he is not entirely awful."

"Don't gimme that, you totally like him. You're still petting him!"

Hermann withdrew his hand and folded both in his lap to the dismay of Baragon who immediately began to whine and paw at his leg. When he saw he was winning no favors with him, he trotted over to the other man and put his two front paws up on his knees and wagged his tail slowly in anticipation. And who could say no to that? Newton couldn't and so he smiled and scratched over the dog's neck and chest for a few seconds before patting him on the head dismissively.

"Yeah all right, bud, now go lie down and leave us alone," he cooed, pressing a kiss to the top of his head and pushing him off his lap to let him go off toward a little worn dog bed in the corner of the room.

With a wide grin at his companion, Newton turned on his system and television and set everything up, quickly selecting the documentary he had queued up for the evening. But what was supposed to be a documentary on deep sea fish was instead what appeared to be a documentary of the cosmos. Hermann raised his eyebrows and looked over at Newton in surprise and the other man just shrugged.

"You were reading an astrophysics book when I came in the other day so I figured why not put something on you'd really enjoy?"

Hermann's eyes softened and the smallest of smiles graced his lips.

"You're gonna miss the intro," Newton murmured, pointing at the screen.

Hermann nodded and turned away, looking pointedly at the screen, cheeks only a little pink as he watched stars glitter across the screen, Neil deGrasse Tyson's voice filling the room with his narration.

When the first episode concluded, Newton declared himself _too hungry to deal_ and got up to get himself a snack. When he came back, his arms were loaded with a large bowl of popcorn and two bottles of iced tea, and he dropped back down next to Hermann again, settling the bowl onto his lap and handing one of the bottles to him which he gratefully accepted with a quiet _thank you_. By the time the second episode began, Newton dove into the popcorn by the small handful, and Hermann made a face.

"Don't scarf it down so quickly, my God, were you raised in a barn?" Hermann muttered, opening his drink to sip, the sweetness of it a little much but not entirely intolerable.

"Hey, don't judge. Besides, you should be watching the show, not me," Newton snarked back, pointedly shoving a large amount of popcorn into his mouth, cheeks puffed out comically.

Hermann jabbed him in the side with a finger and then snatched a few kernels for himself, eating them neatly and slowly, automatically reaching back for more once he finished the pieces he had, only to have the back of his hand lightly slapped away from the bowl. Hermann threw a glare at the other man.

"Nope, you make fun of me, you lose popcorn privileges. Sorry, man, I don't make the rules. Oh wait, yeah I do. And the rule maker says hands off the popcorn."

"Don't be childish, let me have some-"

"Nope, it's too late, it's all mine now."

"Give some to me."

"Nope."

"Newton-"

"Nope."

Hermann let out a frustrated groan.

"You give up?"

" _Yes_. Keep your bloody popcorn, it's awful anyhow."

Newton was triumphant and he grinned all through the second episode.

It wasn't until they were finishing the fourth episode that Hermann realized that it was getting to be rather late and he ought to be getting back to his own home. Opening the library on a Monday meant an early day for him and he wanted to get at least a decent amount of sleep. He shifted from his position where he was pressed up against Newton's side, the back of his neck grazing the man's arm where it rested along the back of the sofa, and he stretched his arms a bit, joints popping quietly.

"You goin' somewhere?" he heard Newton mumble, still comfortably settled on the couch.

"It's getting late, and I'm afraid I'll have to be leaving. Mondays are early days for me." He glanced over at him, smile melancholic.

Newton seemed to deflate a little at that but he nodded, stopping the documentary and standing with a quiet groan, popcorn falling to the floor from where they had nestled in the folds of his t-shirt. He jogged over to the coat rack and snagged Hermann's cane, bringing it back just as quickly and handing it over.

"Thank you," Hermann said, levering himself up with his cane and a quiet huff.

"Lemme walk you out."

Making sure to stop and give another head rub to Baragon on the way-and only grimacing a little when he licked his hand again-Hermann made his way back to the door with Newton following closely behind. The evening had been _very_ relaxing and he found it was easy to feel comfortable around the other man, to be at ease in his presence. He smiled as he stepped over the threshold and out into the cool air, turning to face him before he stepped off the porch and headed a few meters away to his car.

"Tonight was... fun," he said, finger tapping against the handle of his cane. "Thank you."

"Thank _you_ for coming over." Newton was grinning and his eyes had a special glint in them and it was just the most gorgeous thing.

Hermann leaned in and pressed a chaste kiss to his lips, free hand cupping his jaw to hold him there for a moment. When he drew away, he smiled again, seeing Newton's cheeks were flushed and it was likely his were mirrored.

"Good night, Newt," he said and made his way to his car, leaving the other man dumbstruck on his porch.

 

—

 

The next day when Newton came into the library, he immediately plopped his borrowed book down and went straight to the back to pick out a new one. Hermann opened the book on the counter and of course, he spotted a familiar yellow square stuck to the inside cover. He smiled as he read it once, twice, and a third time.

_so does this mean it's official?  
xxNewt_

Putting it away with the others, he dug around for his own little pad and scribbled his own note just in time for the other man to come back with a a single thick, hardcover book and a grin on his face. Hermann couldn't help but smile as he began to actually sign the returned book back in and sign out the new one to Newton.

"You're awfully cheery today."

"Yeah, well, today is just a good day, y'know?"

"Yes, I certainly know what you mean by that."

Discreetly, he pressed the note to the back cover of the book and he handed it back.

"It's due in two weeks. Enjoy."

Newton's grin only widened as his fingers caught the edge of the note. He nodded and strode out of the library, barely waiting until he was outside to peek at the note and fistpump in the middle of the sidewalk.

 _Yes._  
_xHermann_


End file.
